How Much Does a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) Make?

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Certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) are advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) who perform a variety of functions to ensure the safety of pain management and stabilization services for patients. This includes evaluating and monitoring patients and working with physicians to administer anesthesia based on their state’s level of CRNA practice authority. Due to the weight of the responsibilities involved
and the length of training, CRNAs are relatively well-compensated.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS May 2016) reported that there were 39,860 nurse anesthetists employed in the United States. The average hourly wage for CRNAs is $78.86, or approximately $164,030 annually. This figure is more than three times higher than the mean annual salary for all occupations in the U.S.: $49,630.

It is important to note that while outpatient centers and specialty hospitals offer the highest annual mean wage to nurse anesthetists, they also have much lower levels of employment than other industries. According to the BLS, the five top-employing industries (and national employment figures) for CRNAs in the U.S. were the following:

Offices of physicians: 21,460 jobs

General medical and surgical hospitals: 11,850 jobs

Outpatient care centers: 1,820 jobs

Offices of other health practitioners: 1,650 jobs

Federal government: 980 jobs

Salaries for Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) By State and Metropolitan Area

The salaries for nurse anesthetists vary by state and region. According to the BLS (2016), the five top-paying states by average annual salary for CRNAs were:

Montana: $242,140

Wyoming: $233,400

California: $215,530

Oregon: $199,860

Nevada: $192,330

Notably, four of the five top-paying metropolitan areas by average annual salary for nurse anesthetists were in California:

San Diego-Carlsbad, CA: $241,670

San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA: $238,860

San Francisco-Redwood City-South San Francisco, CA: $224,310

Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA: $221,720

Oakland-Hayward-Berkeley, CA: $219,050

It’s important to note, however, that some states and metropolitan areas have higher employment for CRNAs than others. The top-employing states for nurse anesthetists were:

Texas: 4,700 jobs

Ohio: 2,510 jobs

North Carolina: 2,440 jobs

Pennsylvania: 2,310 jobs

Florida: 2,300 jobs

Finally, the top-employing metropolitan areas in the United States for nurse anesthetists were:

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX: 2,040 jobs

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN and WI: 1,200 jobs

Pittsburgh, PA: 770 jobs

Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA: 690 jobs

Birmingham-Hoover, AL: 680 jobs

Given these recent employment figures from the BLS, becoming a nurse anesthetist may be a wise career choice as demand for these specialists is growing rapidly in the U.S. The BLS (Oct. 2017) projected that between 2016 and 2026, there would be a 16 percent increase in positions, a much higher rate than the expected average growth of all
occupations in the country during that same decade (7 percent).